Opción B · Inglés PAU Madrid Extraordinaria 2019

Quiz for divorce in China

In some parts of China, married couples trying to split up have been asked to take a quiz distributed by the local authorities. The more they knew about each other, including a spouse’s birthday or favorite food, the less likely they were to have their divorce immediately approved.

The quizzes, issued in at least two provinces since last year, follow the format of a typical three-part school exam. First, there are some fill-in-the-blank questions. Then, short answer questions and, finally, an essay. The topics of the questions are really varied from the mundane “when is your anniversary?” to the philosophical “have you satisfied your responsibility to your family?” The quizzes contain 15 questions, scored on a scale of 100 points. Liu Chunling, an official in Lianyungang told the Yangtse Late News that they were developed as a way to prevent “impulse divorces”. Local news agencies reported that the authorities considered a score of 60 points or higher to mean “room for recovery”, and those couples were encouraged to work on their marriages.

The divorce rate in China is rapidly rising, pushed mainly by working women who feel newly empowered to get one. But the government is trying to slow the trend, which it sees as a cause of social instability. The state’s focus on preventing divorce, experts said, stems from a Confucian belief that a stable society is made up of complete families. “Only through thousands of harmonious family units can an entire society achieve harmony,” said Mr. Liu, the Lianyungang official.

The Chinese government had previously regulated other many aspects of private family life, including religion and pregnancy. In this case, the authorities claim, the main objective is only to let the couple consider this rationally and to treat it seriously.

Adapted from “Want a Divorce in China? You Might Have to Fail a Quiz First,” The New York Times 30 May 2018.

QUESTIONS

1.- Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.

(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

It is easier to get a divorce in China if you do not know a lot about your couple.

TRUE

FALSE

b)

More women are making the decision of getting a divorce now than in the past.

TRUE

FALSE

2.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions. Do not copy from the text.

(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

Why does the government want to prevent divorce?

b)

What does the idea of "room for recovery" refer to in the text?